BJP leaders meet Devendra Fadnavis, seek action against MNS for beating hawkers

Mumbai: A day after the Congress demanded action against MNS workers for thrashing and forcibly evicting illegal hawkers from suburban railway stations, a delegation of BJP leaders today met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for a similar demand.

The delegation led by Maharashtra minister of state Vidya Thakur met Fadnavis and submitted to him a letter against the MNS' action.

The delegation comprised leaders including, BJP's Mumbai unit general secretary Amarjeet Mishra, vice-president R U Singh, state president of Uttar Bharatiya Morcha Jay Prakash Thakur, among others.

"We met Devendra Fadnavis ji and apprised him about how the hawkers were beaten up my the MNS 'goondas' (hooligans). We apprised him about how they have taken the law into their hands brazenly," Mishra said.

"We demanded action against the MNS workers and the CM assured us to look into the issue and act against them," he added.

The BJP delegation also told the CM about how the hawkers, mostly belonging to north India, are shocked and petrified due to the MNS action, he said adding that the vendors need the government's support.

In the wake of the Elphinstone Road station foot overbridge (FOB) stampede last month, in which 23 people had died, the MNS has started driving away unauthorised hawkers selling goods around the suburban railway stations.

On Tuesday, city Congress leaders Sanjay Nirupam and Naseem Khan demanded that the rights of the hawkers be protected and action be taken against the MNS "goons".